Terence Crawford responded today to the talk of him being fat and using fake photos to hide his soft midsection ahead of Saturday’s fight against Canelo Alvarez. In a video clip, Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) showed his fans that he is in shape for his super fight on September 13.
The energy that Crawford is putting into reacting to his critics on social media suggests that he’s not locked in for the fight on Saturday. He’s too ultra-alert to criticism.
What people are saying now, though, is Crawford, 37, looks “small” and still at 154-pounder, not a 168-lb fighter that he’s going to need to be for him to have a chance of dethroning undisputed champion Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KOs) and capturing Turki Alalshikh’s custom-made $188.491 Ring Magazine Championship mega-belt.
Confronting the “Fat” Accusations
“They said that’s fake. Come on now, we’re working, man,” said Terence Crawford on social media, showing off his physique to let his followers know that he’s not fat around the midsection like recent photos on X show. “It’s just hard work. It ain’t nothing.”
He looks no bigger than 147
I must say, Crawford does look small in the video below, and easily could pass for a welterweight. He seems no bigger than he was when he fought at 147 from 2018 to 2023. That’s not good for Terence, potentially, because Canelo is a full-fledged super middleweight and resembles an angry bull inside the ring.
Even if Crawford rehydrates 10 to 15 lbs, he’s still likely to be much smaller in weight than the powerful Canelo on Saturday night. The weight cut that Crawford has undergone in the last two weeks appears to have quickly taken away muscle as well. His appearance is that of someone on a crash diet
That can happen to a fighter when they suddenly reduce calories to begin a drastic weight cut of 20+ pounds. It’s next to impossible to retain muscle when calories are restricted in the last two weeks. You don’t put that muscle back on overnight after making weight.
“When you put Canelo on his back foot, he’s a completely different fighter. Yeah, he can move a little bit, but he likes to come forward with that power,” said Tim Bradley on his channel, explaining how Crawford can beat Canelo Alvarez.
The Insanity of Going Forward
“Put Canelo on his back foot, Crawford. That’s how you get it done. That’s one aspect that you have to do. I would advise you to do it as early as possible, because if you do that, you’re going to get control right away of the judges,” said Bradley.
That sounds like a crazy plan that Bradley has, advising Crawford to go straight into the teeth of Canelo’s offense right out of the gates on Saturday night. That’s like feeding a lion by going straight to it. I believe that’s the worst thing a smallish, older, inactive, and less experienced Crawford can do against a fresh Canelo. Going right at the Mexican star from the first round sounds insane.
“They going to be looking at you. You going to be dictating the pace. You’re going to have him reacting to you, not you reacting to him,” said Tim with his advice to Crawford.
Last Updated on 09/09/2025
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